Duo charms Marsh

By Matt Romania

Bacchus Marsh came alive with the “Voices of Spring” concert, masterfully brought to life by the Moorabool Light Orchestra (MLO) under the guidance of conductor Reuben Morgan.

Among the evening’s illustrious performances, the daughter-dad pairing of Freya and Tom McGowan captured hearts with their blend of folk and country music.

Speaking about their performance with the MLO, Mr McGowan told The Moorabool News it was a huge thrill for them to be part of such an event.

“To perform those songs with such a rich orchestral sound to an appreciative audience was totally amazing.”

The standout moment for Mr McGowan was performing Moon River with Freya.

“Jen and I were married to this song, so performing it with Freya always feels meaningful. Add in Reuben Morgan’s arrangement and it was incredibly special.”

And it wasn’t just about their own performance.

“We also loved listening to Bayley Mackie sing. He is so good.”

Peeling back the layers on their musical journey, Mr McGowan had been playing guitar in bands since he was a teenager in the 90s. He always played music with Feya at home ever since she was a baby.

“Music is a mutual love that we’ve always shared,” he said.

“We performed as a duo in public for the first time when Freya was six. In 2021, we began performing as a duo on a more frequent basis at festivals, markets and venues. Freya is also a huge fan of musical theatre and has been performing in musical theatre productions since she was in kindergarten.”

Mr McGowan said they loved meeting and playing with the Moorabool Light Orchestra, and chatting to audience members after the concert.

Freya and Mr McGowan have played close to 100 gigs as a duo but performing in Bacchus Marsh was a first for both.

“We’d love to come back and play.”